It’s 2013, and Devil release their follow up to their first album, ‘Time To Repent’, a release that was highly lauded far and wide for the combination of a lo-fi sound combined with the band’s relentless enthusiasm. Since they first came on the scene, there has been a real resurgence of retro sounding acts, not least from the likes of Gentleman’s Pistols, invigorated but the addition of guitar hero Bill Steer, and Admiral Sir Cloudesley Shovell who manage to both satisfy dyed in the wool rock fans whilst arousing the interest of the pseuds of the NME. With this burgeoning market in mind, how do Devil stamp their mark?
Firstly, unlike ‘Time To Repent’, which leant heavily on reworking their original self released EP, every track on ‘Gather The Sinners’ is new, albeit it many have been tested by the band on tour; that said, unless you’ve caught them live, each is an as yet undiscovered treat. “An as yet undiscovered treat?” What a giveaway. What I’m glad to say is that the band has not abandoned their roots and polished each track into a testament to the engineer and producer, rather, the raw sound of their first release is again recorded, albeit with some more sophisticated song writing, a true sign of a the maturing artist.
First track up is ‘Southern Sun’ that opens with a classic Sabbathesque riff and drum beat, treating the listener to over 6 minutes of pretence free metal, the deliberately simple arrangement promising a sound that can be transferred live without degrading the band’s sound. Hey, it may even be the arrangement is designed to make sure the band’s sound is not lost live, such is their simple, tight yet laid back arrangement. Everything about the track screams of quality, the mid track speed up being both inevitable, but utterly necessary rather the formulaic. This is a song that delivers a retro feel without sounding purely derivative, and builds up the depth with the loosely harmonised vocals at the end.
‘Beyond The Gate’ consolidates the doom, with the bass having a more prominent, and dare I say it, Butler like presence, a reverberation that is felt throughout the whole track. Indeed, it is in the longer tracks on the album that Devil truly makes their mark. Yes, punchier tracks like ‘They Pale’ and ‘Darkest Day’ make their presence felt, with more of a NWOBHM vibe, but it is on the longer laden tracks that their quality shines through. An undoubted standout is ‘Mother Shipton Part 1’ and its inexplicably separate second half ‘Mother Shipton Part 2’; dedicated to a 15th Century Yorkshire witch, seer, and reputedly hideous crone who is supposed to have predicted the great fire of London. This epic of Yorkshire folklore matches in intensity Cathedral’s tales of Olde England in scope, intensity, and infectious beats. The fact that act two is slower, darker, and more doom laden then the first movement does not in my mind necessitate a separate track. The two could easily have been released together as an excellent EP.
Every track on this album oozes class, and promises to be reproduced live without the aid of auto tune, sampling, off stage musicians, or other modern influences, and for that the album is to be commended. If you like the metal without airs and graces, this is the album for you. Dare I say it, with 2013 being a year promising the return of Ozzy with Sabbath, if I could only afford one album, which would I buy, Black Sabbath or Devil? Well, Devil wins.
(8.5/10 Spenny Bullen)
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